


late at night (you held on tight)

by pinkmaggit



Category: Metallica
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Homesickness, Late Night Conversations, Physical Intimacy, Sharing a Bed, Tenderness, the inherent intimacy of sharing music u love w/ someone else
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28890030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkmaggit/pseuds/pinkmaggit
Summary: Kirk feels his heart kick hard against his ribs.He takes Jason's hand gently. Squeezes softly.Jason squeezes back.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	late at night (you held on tight)

**Author's Note:**

> this is. just a short little thing i wrote a long time ago while listening to thirteen by big star. its just an aimless little drabble ig but anyways. here it is. enjoy

There’s a quiet clatter.

Kirk blinks, rolling dazedly onto his side, one hand clumsily rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It’s all pitch-black, the slightest bit of light from the television washing blue down the halls, pooling over the carpet between the bunks- someone must’ve left it on again. There’s that low rumble of the tires, heavy through his bones.

Pulling the curtain of his bunk aside a little more, Kirk’s head snaps up when he hears a choked inhale. Kirk leans over, throwing his legs over the side of the bunk. The carpet is tacky, slightly cool under his socked feet. He can hear James’ snores, a soft mumble from Lars.

Which means-

Kirk raps his knuckles against the wood of Jason’s bunk. Then there’s a gasp, cut-off like Jason’s slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Jase?”

“Kirk?” Jason’s voice is hushed. Kind of shaky. “Is that- is that you?”

“Yeah,” Kirk says, “You okay, dude?”

Silence. Kirk frowns, picking at a fingernail worriedly. Jason pulls aside the curtain for the bunk. In the low light and that ethereal blue glow from the television, Kirk can just barely see some of Jason’s face. His eyes are a little wet. Kirk swallows hard.

“Yeah, I’m,” Jason trails off. His fingers play with the blankets. “Dunno. It’s fine. Go- go back to bed, Kirk.”

Kirk chews at his bottom lip. “I- you sure?”

Jason sighs. His shoulders slump in a little. It makes him look drawn-out, tired. It’s so foreign on him it makes Kirk worried.

“Yeah, just. Wish I was home.”

Kirk can feel that there's more to that statement. 

“Oh,” he says instead. “Yeah. Me too. You know, I- I like to listen to a certain tape when I’m homesick.”

Jason fixes those soft grey eyes on him. Blinks slowly. “Yeah?”

Kirk nods. “Yeah. Here, lemme- be right back.”

He leaves before Jason can say anything, rummaging in his luggage case for his walkman and the little cassette tape tucked at the bottom of his backpack. Unwinding the earbuds, Kirk comes back to the bunk.

“Scoot over, dude,” Kirk murmurs, and Jason does, wiggling over so that Kirk can sit beside him, the two of them leaning back against the headboard, knees scrunched up under the blankets.

Kirk passes him an earbud. Jason takes it gingerly, putting it in slowly. Kirk puts the other one in, pressing play.

The first few chords ring out, soft and mellow.

Jason smiles, just slightly. “Huh,” he says. “Wasn't expecting this.”

Kirk grins softly. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “It's- it's. I dunno. Sentimental.”

Jason hums, closing his eyes. 

Kirk lets the music wash over him, focusing on the feeling of Jason's shoulder pressed up tight against his, the warmth radiating through the layers of their ratty bedshirts. 

It’s comforting, in a way he's missed.

There's a quiet sniff. Kirk blinks, his eyes flicking over to Jason, taking in the way he's biting his lip. 

“Shit- sorry, Jason,” Kirk says, panicky, because this wasn't his intention at all. He feels awful.

Jason shakes his head, swallows hard. “No, I- I’m okay, Kirk,” he says quietly, voice ragged. “M’okay. Just- thanks.”

Kirk feels his heart kick hard against his ribs.

He takes Jason's hand gently. Squeezes softly. 

Jason squeezes back.

“Here, c’mon,” Kirk whispers, pulling up the sheets. “S’like a sleepover.”

Jason grins, sliding underneath the blankets and laying next to him. It's way too tight, the bunk really only meant for one person, but they're both pretty slim, and Kirk likes the warmth of Jason pressed up against him.

The window of the bunk is frosted over, the night pitch-black.

They let the rest of the tape play through. It clicks to an end, and suddenly there’s nothing else but their soft breaths. Kirk takes the earbud out, and when Jason does the same he wraps the cord around his walkman and tosses it to rest at the foot of the bunk. Rolling over, Kirk’s struck by how close they are.

“Tell me about Michigan,” Kirk says, finally, to break the silence.

Jason frowns. “It's not that interesting,” he says, finger playing with the frayed hem of the blanket.

“But it- it matters to you,” Kirk murmurs. “So- so I think it is, too.”

“Oh,” Jason says. He licks his lips, softly. “Okay. I- I don't know where to start.”

Kirk shrugs his shoulders. “Wherever you want, Jase.”

“Uh- okay,” Jason murmurs. “Well- I mean. I miss the farm, my parent’s house.”

“You grew up on a farm?”

“Yeah,” Jason smiles. “Two brothers, a sister and me. We'd have to help with chores all the time, y’know. Feed the horses, clean out the chicken coop.”

Kirk grins a little, in spite of himself. He can just imagine a young Jason, unruly curls smothered by a big ball cap, dirt stains smudged over his clothes and holding a chicken in his arms.

Jason talks slowly, a nostalgic tone to his voice. Kirk lets it all wash over himself. 

“And in the winter, it snows a lot,” Jason says quietly. His voice is tinged with sleep. Kirk hears everything as if he's underwater, slightly muffled in his haze of exhaustion. “Covers everything, just blanketing the fields. And it all goes silent for miles. Just you out there, gazing off into the night, flakes drifting down.”

“Sounds pretty,” Kirk mumbles. He throws an arm over Jason's side, wanting to fall asleep again. He lets his hand trail, up and down, along Jason’s spine, lazy and sluggish. It’s warm under the blankets, the two of them tucked up together. Kirk pushes his head up, under Jason’s chin.

Jason hums, pulling him close. Rests his chin on Kirk’s head. Hand rubbing between his shoulder blades. “Yeah.”

“You should show me, one day.”

“Okay.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> <3


End file.
